


This Is Your World

by Becca_Hay



Series: Loverboys [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Dave Katz doing his best, Depression, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, M/M, References to Addiction, References to Drugs, References to anxiety, Sobriety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 04:33:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18422889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Becca_Hay/pseuds/Becca_Hay
Summary: Klaus struggles with sobriety more some days than others.





	This Is Your World

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer number 1 - I did look to see if I could find Dave's dads name and I could not so I gave him a name. Alexander is a popular Jewish boy's name and means helper of man/defender which I thought would fit nice. If he has a name then hit me up.
> 
> Disclaimer number 2 - This story is mainly based on my own experience with drug addiction that started around the age 12/13 and when I stopped taking drugs I was very depressed and anxious. I was never as bad as what Klaus is made out to be in TUA and I had other factors that were effecting me at the time that Klaus doesn't. I just wrote what I know and I had functioning depression I guess where I had to get up and do shit and I feel like with the amount Klaus moves and wants to be busy he would be the same. 
> 
> Finally disclaimer number 3 - This is not a topic I talk openly about with anyone ever, however I am not triggered by it though other may be which is why this is your trigger warning though there isn't anything bad in this. It is just a precaution.

Not everyday was so nice and easy for them. Dave knew that there would be bad days, he had seen them with his own father and with Klaus when Diego and himself had to pick him up from the street or club or even the hospital. However, on those days it was always the aftermath he had seen, never the spiral itself. Now he was getting to witness it first hand and he had no idea what to do.

Dave had a week holiday and him and Klaus had been spending a lot of their free time together going on little dates and outings, sometimes just staying in Dave’s apartment to chill and Klaus had stayed over the night before so as soon as Dave woke up he could see there was something not right about Klaus.

First of all, he was shivering, that itself wasn’t unusual. Klaus was cold quite often because of his light clothes and lack of coat, but hardly ever when he was inside, especially not when he was wrapped up in the thick duvet that Dave had on. The second oddity that Dave notices was the way Klaus was awake but just staring blankly with his eyes glazed over, it was different from the looks he gave any spirits or Ben, he was just blinking slowly every so often but looking through everything.

“Klaus.” Dave says softly, shaking his shoulder only for Klaus to turn slowly and hum at him. His eyes were still glazed over, and he clutched the duvet tighter in his hands, still shaking slightly. “Are you feeling okay?” He asks, pushing Klaus’ hair from his face a little seeing the dark bags back under his eyes.

“Oh sure.” Klaus replies but it’s lacklustre as he watches Klaus try and shake the look out of his eyes and sit up. “Just a bit of a headache, you know how it gets. A few painkillers and I’ll be brand new.” He replies, struggling to pull his legs out of bed.

“Babe, you know you can’t take any painkillers. They won’t do anything yet and you’ve strictly been told no narcotics.” Dave tells him gently, while resting his hand on Klaus’ back, but quickly pulls it back when Klaus whips around to glare at him.

“Well fuck you Dave. I didn’t ask for your opinion on my life. If I want to take painkillers for my headache then I fucking will.” Klaus snaps, shoving himself off the bed looking pale and drawn as he shuffles towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Dave would be slightly more concerned if he hadn’t taking every temptation out of his apartment after Klaus first started coming around. He is still worried though, so he moves to stand at the door listening to try and figure out what Klaus is doing. He hears his bathroom cupboards slam and he hears a small noise that might be a scream that Klaus is trying to stop, which breaks his heart. He then hears a few deep shuddery breaths before the shower turns on and Dave leaves the door to make some breakfast for them both.

Dave sits and has his tea and toast waiting for Klaus to come out of the shower but after 45 minutes of waiting Dave has to draw the line and goes to knock on the door. “Klaus? Are you okay in there? I’ve made you some tea and toast.” He calls, hand on the doorknob ready to try the door if Klaus doesn’t answer.

All he heard for a few moments was just the water running, but just before he tried the door it shut off. “I’ll be out in a minute.” Dave sighed out of relief and moved away from the door back to the kitchen. He heard the door open and shuffling to the bedroom and a few minutes after Klaus emerged in a pair of leggings, black ankle socks, Dave’s old police training hoodie and a tie dye bandana to keep his wet hair out of his face. Dave doesn’t think he’s ever seen Klaus in a hoodie in his life, it made him look very young.

Klaus sits with his legs tucked up underneath himself on the chair and hold the mug of now lukewarm tea in both hands, occasionally picking at the cold toast until half of it is gone. Dave has no idea what to do. When his dad had bad days, he wouldn’t be able to get out of bed at all, him and his mom would check on him every hour or so bringing him food or water or sitting with him to keep him company a while. But Klaus was up, though barely, and showered and eating lightly, he doesn’t look good at all but Dave isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do.

“Are you okay? Do you want some more tea or toast maybe?” He asks, watching Klaus carefully, like he might collapse at any second. Instead he gets a loud irritated sigh and Klaus pushes off the seat, making it topple back against the kitchen tiles.

“No! I’m not fucking okay, Dave! I’m tired and cold and all I want to do is go out and get high so everything stops being so loud, including you!” Klaus snaps, turning to grab his shoes from next to the door where he had kicked them off the night before when they had come back from a walk. “I’m going back to the Academy where I can go about my business without having you babysit me and ask me if I’m alright every 10 seconds!” He snaps pulling the boots on, which look very out of place with the leggings and hoodie.

Before Dave can even stand from his chair or tell Klaus he’ll drive him home, he’s out the door slamming it behind him. Dave text’s Diego to let him know what happened and that Klaus was on his way back to the Academy and asking him to text him when he arrives to make sure he’s okay.

 

* * *

 

 

He gets a text an hour later from Diego saying that he picked up Klaus half way and that he was safe back at the Academy which calms Dave down from the panic he was working himself into.

While he was waiting for Diego’s message, he had decided to call his dad as soon as he hears back from Diego to ask him for advice. He was a bit nervous as he hadn’t told his dad about Klaus yet despite their weekly chats. He had mentioned “his partners brother” or “his friend”, but he had never been specific and they had only met briefly for a few moments when his dad had been able to see him after he had been shot and Klaus came to drop off some chocolates for him in the hospital.

This would be the first time he would introduce Klaus as his boyfriend and though he would like to mention it to Klaus first, he didn’t really have that option at the moment so he was just going to have to trust that Klaus wouldn’t mind, but after the enthusiasm he had towards how Dave’s dad would react he didn’t think it would be an issue.

“Hey Dad, it’s me.” Dave asks, sitting on the couch, laptop on the coffee table and phone to his ear.

“David, how are you son? Is everything alright? You usually don’t call until tomorrow night.” Alexander replied, making Dave smile. He loved talking to his Dad even though he was only around a two and a half hour drive away, being a cop was a busy job and he didn’t get to see him as much as he wanted.

“I’m fine Dad I just needed some advice. I’ve got boyfriend troubles, well not really. My boyfriend has troubles is probably a better way of putting it and I need your help.” He explains, waving his hands about a bit like it would help explain it better even though his dad couldn’t see him. He was also a bit nervous, so his hands were more erratic.

“Hm, I’ll try my best, but you know your mother was better with the relationship advice, took me a whole year to figure out she was trying to get me to ask her out. What’s this mans name then?” He replies and Dave lets out a soft sigh. He knew his dad would be accepting, they had already been over this, but he hadn’t ever introduced a boyfriend to his dad so couldn’t gauge a reaction.

“His name is Klaus. You briefly met him at the hospital, he called you Sir and shook your hand when he came with chocolates for me. He wasn’t my boyfriend at the time, that’s sort of new.” Dave explains, picking up the pen from the coffee table. “Anyway, he’s an ex-addict and going through a rough time today and I don’t know what to do or what I did wrong, but he stormed out.”

Dave explained the whole morning to his dad while he hummed and listened carefully throughout. “And then he stormed out but his brother who’s also my partner Diego, picked him up and made sure he got home okay. It wasn’t anything like your bad days so I didn’t really know what to do but I think I messed up.”

“You didn’t mess up. He’ll be angry at himself not you. Withdrawal is difficult not only physically but mentally. It leaves a lot of scars and from what you’ve said it sounds like the drugs and alcohol had become his safety blanket of sorts. Without this comfort he’ll be depressed and anxious and upset, because you don’t just stop being an addict, it’s continuous which you know already.” Alexander sighs and pauses for a second.

“Everyone is different, but it seems like he wants to do something even on his bad days. First of all, I know you didn’t mean it but continuously asking if he’s okay is going to make him frustrated, so just make sure he knows you are there and willing to help. He seems like he might want some physical contact, so hugs are good or even just being with him while you watch tv or do something he enjoys like a hobby.”

Dave who is quickly scribbling down notes pauses. “He knits sometimes. One of his sisters says he used to draw so I could maybe put on like some old Bob Ross episodes that we could watch.”

“Well there you go. If he decides he want to get out, then maybe a walk but nothing to crowded like the mall or something, just to the park maybe. Just most importantly, I know it is frustrating not being able to help. Your mother used to get so annoyed when she could fix it and you used to get upset when you were younger when I couldn’t play with you some days, but just being there helps.” Dave smiles sadly as he takes a few more notes.

“I never blamed you for not being able to play catch with me or take me out sometimes because you couldn’t get out of bed. I’m just glad you explained it to me because some of the things you went through helped Klaus at some points. He’d really like to meet you. He thinks you won’t like him, but I told him that wasn’t possible.” Dave laughs hearing his dad do the same.

“He sounds like a good lad, just a little bit sharp ‘round the edges but it will keep you on your toes and you definitely need that.” He jokes, making Dave smile again. “Bring him out to meet me soon, we’ll have dinner. Sure, it might not be as good as your mothers was, but I’ll cook something good, try not and get the fire department called again. I’m going to go make myself some lunch, you do the same. Can’t have you starving before your boy comes back.” He tells him firmly.

“I will, I will. Thank you, dad. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you, Bye.” He waited for his dad to reply before he hung up. He looked down at the notes he had and went looking about for some more on the internet before making himself lunch.

He would check up on Klaus tomorrow and maybe put some of the things he had learned to good use.

* * *

 

 

Dave was roused in the morning by a ball of socks to the face. This left him very confused obviously, as he looked around blearily for the culprit and finding no one. He was about to roll over and go back to sleep, certain that he was dreaming and not really awake when he heard a very light tap on the door like someone who didn’t want him to answer and then another ball of socks to the back of the head.

“Ben?” He asked quietly, because that was really the only option that it could be before he saw another pair of socks beginning to float out of his drawer. “Okay! I’m going, I’m going.” He shuffles quickly out of bed and down the hall, in only his pyjama bottoms to open the door, finding Klaus turned and ready to leave again.

“Hey Klaus. Sorry I didn’t hear the door.” He says, moving to allow Klaus to come in. He notices Klaus muttering and glaring at the space in front of him, his back still facing Dave, and he assumed he was maybe arguing with Ben probably about the whole sock thing.

Klaus eventually turns and gives Dave a sheepish look and moves towards the door to come in. He looks better than the day before, still tired and jittery but a bit brighter. “Just take a seat on the couch and I’ll put the kettle on. Are you o-I’ll be here if you need me.” He corrects himself, making his way to the kitchen to put on the kettle and then going to grab a t-shirt to pull on.

He comes back into the kitchen and organises two mugs of tea and makes his way slowly to the living room to find Klaus with his notebook in his hand reading the notes he had taken yesterday when he was talking to his dad.

“I was supposed to put those away last night.” He says putting down the mugs and reaching to grab the notebook with red cheeks only to find Klaus looking up at him with teary eyes. “I’m sorry! Please don’t cry! I wasn’t researching ways to fix you, I swear. I was just trying to help.” Dave says panicked, quickly sitting down next to Klaus who lunges himself into Dave’s side to hug him tightly. Dave can feel the tears dripping against his shoulder as Klaus squeezes him tightly.

“I-I didn’t mean to s-snap at you yesterday. I was just having a-a dark day and you were being so nice, and I shouted at you. And-And you are still being so nice making lists on how to make sure I’m okay.” Klaus cries, and Dave sighs in relief holding him back the best he can at this angle.

“I know you didn’t mean to shout at me. I just wasn’t sure how to help so I asked my dad and he gave me some advice, but it makes it easier for me to organise my thoughts if I write a list. I was coming over to see you today anyway. I wanted to see if you were feeling a little better and if not I was going to suggest some ideas.” Dave explains to him softly, petting his hair lightly.

Klaus pulls back to look at Dave with a watery smile. “You are too good for this world Dave Katz.” He says, patting his cheek gently. “Some days are just really dark. Sometimes they last for a week or sometimes a day or two. I struggle everyday but I mostly just distract myself but some days I just wake up so _tired_ and yesterday was one of those days. I’m still a bit down today but I wanted to see you. We could maybe try some of your ideas if that’s alright. I quite like the Bob Ross one and I didn’t bring my knitting needles so.” Klaus trails off with a shrug.

“Of course. Anything you want, I’ll set it up and we can watch. You can sleep for a bit if you need or we can talk later if you want to talk about it as well.” Dave suggest, grabbing the remote to set up the tv to and episode of _The Joy of Painting._

“Also, you need to stop leaving your lists around for me to find. So far, I’ve found out your date ideas, your helpful depression ideas, what next? Proposal plans? Sex Schemes? Civil Partnership Concepts?”

“Klaus!”

“Actually, I quite like the sound of Sex Schemes, please do leave that list lying around.”

Before Dave can shout at him again Klaus splutters as a balled-up pair of socks smacks him in the face.

**Author's Note:**

> I had to add a little humour at the end because it is literally the only thing that keeps me sane. 
> 
> I am working on other stuff this just kind of hit me like a ball of socks so. You can expect more from this series and other individual things when I commit to them :')


End file.
